Are the 2 actuators by the exhaust manifold supposed to open when I turn on the car. None of my actuators move when I do and the solenoids show that power is going to them. They were just recently cleaned and worked for 1 day. When I rev the engine my VDI actuator moves fine, but the other 2 won't budge. Do they only open under load? Is there anything I can do? I know the ECU is sending the signal to the solenoids. Help appreciated.

 

The 6PI (6 port induction) actuators only open under load. The ECU sends a signal around 3800 RPMS to tell the actuators to open.

On S4s, the actuators are opened via exhaust backpressure. On S5s, they open via air supplied by the air pump.

Out of curiosity, what year is your car and are there any mods? Just making sure there isn't more to the story which would cause the ports not to open when they're supposed to.

 

Free manual at http://www.iluvmyrx7.com jpg attached.

 

I have a 91 na with apex intake, bonez cat, bonez clutch, and soon to be rotary performance catback. I thought my car's actuators would open even when not under load because they are controlled by the airpump and not the backpressure. I got my car back from the shop after I got all the actuators cleaned out and a new ECU. My old ECU shorted and didn't send the signal for the actuators to open/close. The night I got my car back it ran better than it ever did. Probably about a second faster on the 1/4. The next day it was faster than it was before I got it fixed, but slower than last the night. When I rev the engine I see my VDI actuator open then close, but I don't see the exhaust manifold actuators moving at all. An old mechanic that used to work on rotarys told me that they should move when you turn on the car. I don't think he's right, but I checked and mine don't. I also don't have a real cold start anymore. It stopped working before I got my car fixed. Every now and then it will do it, but that's only when the has been warmed a little bit. Help appreciated...

 

Take the vac hose off the boost/pressure sensor and plug it with a screw temporarily. Then rev the engine and see if the aux actuators work. I don't know if this will work or not. Never seen a series five. But the jpg in my first post said under load and over thirty eight hundred, and the vac hose being off will make the secondarys come on line at thirty whatever rpms, so I figure the aux will do so also. Write back and tell me if this works or not.

FYI.....The plug on the six port solenoid should have 12 v on it all the time with the key to on. Its the ECU putting a ground on the other wire on the solenoids plug that makes it work. Write back if this works.

 

No, they still didn't move. I'm going to mount a digital camera down there and see if they move. I also have a loud pop at high rpm's. I just got a new cat and catback. No exhaust leaks... I'm going to check the volts on the solenoids next.

 

bump

 

have you tried moving them by hand... just to make sure they are not locked in place

 

Well, instead of a camera, you could run two small gauge wires to the solenoid for the aux actuators, and shove them up the back of the plug. Run them to the inside of the car thru the the hole where the throttle cable goes in and out of the car, and hook the two wires to a LED from RadioShaq. When the car is running there should be no LED light. When you hit 3800 or so the light should come on IF the ECU is putting a ground on the solenoid.

There's also the method of putting some axle grease on the actuator rods and going for a ride. When you come back you look to see if the grease is disturbed. Works better on a series four though.

 

I got all the carbon build up cleaned off them, and they only worked for that one night. I can move them a little, but not all the way open. I can barely move my VDI actuator, but it opens and closes fine, even when the car is sitting still and I rev the engine. I tested the solenoid with a voltmeter and it didn't read 12 volts. Maybe the new/used ECU I got somehow shorted like my old one.

 

On my car (90 GXL), the bladed contacts on the solenoids were corroded. I took a bit of sandpaper and a fine file to them and the connector, covered the clean metal with a dielectric grease (from autozone or another place), and that fixed part of my problem. Maybe that is messing up your port actuation?

(My VDI now works, but my auxiliary ports are stuck closed by carbon...)

 

What are the colors of the two wires on your solenoid?? As in black with a white stripe etc.......?

 

Are you saying that if you put a meter lead on the black/white wire, and the other lead on a good ground point like the battery ground post, that there is no 12v?????? That 12v comes from the source of 12v for all the other solenoids. If the other solenoids have the 12v, then you have a break in the wire for the 6ports solenoid.

 

My 6-port test was more direct.
To test them, I teed in a pressure gage and blew into the tube to check at what pressure they opened.
Then I routed the tube inside with the gage on the end, and did a test drive to see when they opened.